Undergraduate Degrees

Major Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

The School of Philosophy offers two major options: the major in philosophy and the major in philosophy with an emphasis on ethics, law and value theory.

The major in philosophy requires eight courses in philosophy; six of these must be at the upper-division level. One of the eight courses must be selected from the following list: PHIL 300, PHIL 315, PHIL 320, PHIL 350 or PHIL 360. Students are strongly encouraged to take one of these courses before taking any 400-level courses. Three of the eight courses must satisfy the distribution requirement: at least one course from each of the three categories listed.

The major with an emphasis on ethics, law and value theory requires the student to complete all of the requirements for the major in philosophy, with the further requirement that three of the eight courses completed are from the distribution category of ethics, law and value theory. The major with emphasis on ethics, law and value theory requires eight courses in philosophy, of which six must be upper-division courses; one course from the list of 300-level courses above; one course from the list of history of philosophy courses; one course from the list of systematic philosophy courses; and three courses from the list of ethics, law and value theory courses.

Philosophy Major with Honors

The philosophy major with honors requires the student to complete one of the major options with a GPA in the major of at least 3.5 and also complete a ninth course, PHIL 494 Senior Thesis, with a grade of B or better. Intent to complete the philosophy major with honors normally should be registered with the philosophy advisor no later than the second semester of the junior year. Students who intend to graduate with honors are encouraged to complete PHIL 350.

Undergraduates who are considering graduate school in philosophy should, in addition to consulting with the undergraduate advisor, consult with the graduate advisor on a regular basis until graduation. The School of Philosophy strongly urges that future philosophy graduate students major with honors, enroll in PHIL 350 for credit, and consider (in consultation with the philosophy advisors) taking at least one graduate course for undergraduate credit.

Double Major

Double majors are encouraged but a student must work in close consultation with the undergraduate advisor.

Bachelor of Arts with a Combined Major in Linguistics and Philosophy

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Law

This interdisciplinary major combines in a systematic and structured way basic education in philosophy, political theory and elements of law. It may be of particular interest to students contemplating post-graduate work in law; those interested in a career in public service or politics; and those attracted by the rigor of philosophy, and its attention to foundational issues, who are also interested in politics and law. Students are exposed to a wide range of conceptual and methodological approaches, while learning enough philosophy and political science to leave a choice of options for graduate schools. The major requires nine classes, distributed as follows.

REQUIREMENTS

Units

One lower-division class from the following:

PHIL 140

Contemporary Moral and Social Issues

4

PHIL 141

The Professions and the Public Interest in American Life

4

PHIL 262

Mind and Self: Modern Conceptions

4

POSC 130

Law, Politics and Public Policy

4

Students who satisfy one of their general education requirements by taking a core, thematic options course of comparable scope and content, can, at the discretion of the director of the School of Philosophy and the philosophy undergraduate advisor for this major, substitute that course for one of the above.

One course in logic:

PHIL 350

Symbolic Logic

4

PHIL 351

Reasoning and Logic

4

One course in philosophy of law:

PHIL 430

Philosophy of Law

4

PHIL 431

Law, Society, and Politics

4

One additional course in moral and political philosophy:

PHIL 335

Theoretical Models of Leadership

4

PHIL 337

History of Modern Political Philosophy

4

PHIL 340

Ethics

4

PHIL 437

Social and Political Philosophy

4

PHIL 440

Contemporary Ethical Theory

4

PHIL 442

History of Ethics to 1900

4

PHIL 443

Value Theory

4

One course in the history of philosophy or a systematic area of philosophy:

History of philosophy:

PHIL 300

Introduction to the Philosophical Classics

4

PHIL 315

History of Western Philosophy: Ancient Period

4

PHIL 317

History of Western Philosophy: Medieval Period

4

PHIL 320

History of Western Philosophy: Modern Period

4

PHIL 423

The Critical Philosophy of Kant

4

PHIL 426

20th Century European Philosophy

4

PHIL 427

20th Century Anglo-American Philosophy

4

PHIL 428

Anglo-American Philosophy since 1950

4

Systematic areas of philosophy:

PHIL 360

Epistemology and Metaphysics

4

PHIL 462

Philosophy of Mind

4

PHIL 463

Theories of Action

4

PHIL 465

Philosophy of Language

4

PHIL 470

Theory of Knowledge

4

One course in constitutional politics:

POSC 335

Political Parties, Campaigns, and Elections

4

POSC 340

Constitutional Law

4

POSC 426

The United States Supreme Court

4

POSC 444

Civil and Political Rights and Liberties

4

One course in comparative or international politics and law:

ANTH 345

Politics, Social, Organization and Law

4

POSC 345

International Law

4

POSC 440

Comparative Law and the Judicial Process

4

POSC 448a

The Politics of Peace: Human Rights

4

One course in politics, law, and public policy:

POSC 347

Environmental Law

4

POSC 395

Directed Governmental and Political Leadership Internship

4

POSC 443

Law in Film

4

POSC 452

Critical Issues in Law and Public Policy

4

SWMS 349

Women and the Law

4

One course in law:

LAW 300

Concepts in American Law

4

Minor in Philosophy

The minor in philosophy requires the completion of five philosophy courses, at least four of which are upper-division courses. All minors must complete one of PHIL 300, PHIL 315, PHIL 320, PHIL 340, PHIL 350 or PHIL 360. and must complete one course from each of the subject area lists.

Minor in Theories of Art

Theorizing about the arts takes place in the discipline of philosophy (aesthetics) as well as in all the individual disciplines concerned with the individual arts. Some of the issues involved (is perspective a matter of convention?; how does acting differ in cinema and in theatre?) are specific to a particular discipline or disciplines, but their discussion typically involves very general issues (in the cases mentioned, issues about the nature of convention or of artistic media) and many of the issues manifest themselves in all these disciplines (the relation of intention to interpretation; the epistemological and moral status of the arts; the nature of evaluative judgments). The understanding of these issues can be greatly enhanced by studying them as they arise in different arts and in different theoretical traditions. The minor should be of interest to students with an interest in philosophy, or students in any of the arts who are interested in their theoretical dimensions.

There are no entrance requirements for the minor, which requires six courses (23 or 24 units, depending on course selection).

All students must take PHIL 242 Theories of Art (4 units) and select five courses from the following:

AHIS 250

Modernity and Difference: Critical Approaches to Modern Art

4

ARCH 314

Theory and Criticism: Recent Trends and Developments

3

COLT 391

Literary Criticism from Plato to Postmodernism

4

COLT 454

Aesthetic Philosophy and Theory

4

ENGL 479

History of Literary Criticism

4

ENGL 480

Modern Literary Criticism: Theory and Practice

4

PHIL 445

Philosophy of the Arts

4

PHIL 446

Aesthetics and the Film

4

THTR 404

Acting Theory

4

Minor in Critical Approaches to Leadership

Minor in Philosophy for Business, Law, and the Professions

The aim of the minor is to give students headed for business, law or the professions a strong set of critical, analytic and expository skills, while providing them with a broad humanistic perspective not found in professional education. Students are required to take five courses, at least four of which must be upper division. They must take one course from each of the following categories (1- 4), and one additional course from either category 2 or 3.